a quick update...Wednesday, August 31 2005
piece of advice: triathlon training and a f/t job do not go well together. add a stubborn fever and a throat infection into the equation and well, you're an idiot.
ladies and gentlemen...i believe i may have re-defined idiot.
long story short, i thought i was getting better, modified the training to be less intense, but still somehow managed to get sick again. not as bad as before i suppose, 37.5C instead of 39.5 (for now), but this sucks. no matter, i've been keeping some notes on training progress over the past few weeks, but i'll post 'em later when i have time/energy. i was basically feeling "ok" on the road to recovery when i went for a 30min. trail run @ Central Park after work on Monday evening, n when i got home it was just all downhill...aching, fever, etc... o yeah, n did i mention? i'm going camping in Washington over the Labour Day long weekend. lovely...
and as if me getting nasty sick a week before race day wasn't convenient enough for adding suspense to this triathlon tale...they just recovered the body of missing diver Erik Bezur; a 24-year-old Olympic hopeful from N. Vancouver (may he RIP), from Coquitlam's Buntzen Lake at 4pm on Monday. yes, that's the same Buntzen lake the triathlon will be held at...now that's kinda spooky.
for now, Clavulin is my drug of choice, and i'm more determined than ever to get well enough to just do this bad ass of a triathlon n get it over with! it's crunch time...
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
more tales of stupidity... - Tuesday, August 9 2005
so, the past few days i've been an idiot showing utter disregard for the stress limits of the body. what else is new?
mind over matter: the "Starbuck's Loop" - Saturday, August 6 2005
big Brick #1: reaally didn't feel like doing any exercise this morning, woke up feeling some aches n pains from the last few days. so when i asked myself if i wanted to follow through w/ my plan to try out what i've dubbed the "Starbuck's Loop", i hesitated. my arms were sore from the gym, my hamstrings ached from running/biking, and my boobs hurt cuz, well...u know =P.
BUT,
after a bowl of cereal, a cha-siu-bao, n a bit of stretching, i stuck to the plan n headed out just after 1000.
man, i hope to God that this route that i'm training on is harder than the actual race course b/c if it isn't...uuy i'm in trouble. the "Starbuck's Loop" got it's name from the fact that i decided to measure the distance with the car's odometer when i drove out to Buck's one night from my house. it's a relatively quiet route w/ minimal traffic, and some pretty challenging climbs/inclines. well, ok mr. Armstrong would probably think they're nothing, but challenging for me at least! here's directions if anyone wants to try it:
*Start: bottom of Royal Oak Ave. where it intersects w/ SE Marine Drive
-take the scenic route going West along SE Marine Drive (relatively flat, slight-moderate inclines)
-turn Right heading North up Matheson Cres. (big incline)
-then Left on Champlain, which winds & turns into Tyne St at around 54th Ave. (moderate incline)
*1/3 Mark: this is around the 5km mark where i'd usually turn left n head down the block to Buck's, but not this time...
-keep going till you hit 49th Ave, turn Right n head East until Boundary Rd (relatively flat, slight incline)
-turn Right n go south down until Rumble St. (slight-moderate decline)
-make a Left onto Rumble n head East until Royal Oak Ave. (mostly flat, slight incline)
-Right on Royal Oak Ave. back down the hill to where i started/home. (big decline)
*Final Lap: ok so you basically repeat the first third of the Loop again, but this time instead of going straight @ Tyne & 54th Ave, make a left...
-keep going West till you hit Rupert St. (slight decline)
-make a Right on Rupert n head North until 49th Ave/Killarney CC Track (flat)
...and yeah, so that's about 15km. ditch the bike at the side of the track, drink some water n get moving. a 5km run divided by 400m of track means...12.5 laps right? woohoo! mad math skillz...
so yeah i'm glad i made myself do it. gives me an idea of what it's like to have your motor running over an extended period of time, since all of my workouts up to this point have only been 25 minutes at most. weather was decent too; kinda overcast so it wasn't too hot, but still kinda sunny. the bike route's challenging too, w/ the hard climbs coming in the first and final thirds of the loop, which forces me to push hard so that i'll (hopefully) know what it's like to pace myself and have enough energy leftover to finish strong.
of course, there's still a long way to go, plus i haven't even tried doing the swim first (haven't been swimming for a few weeks actually O_o), i eased up during the run and walked half of my 7th lap, and if for some reason the car's odometer isn't very accurate and this "15km" route is actually only 10km? i'm toast! but let's think positive...whooosaaa...
alright, so here's the time to beat when i try n do this all over again next week:
Overall Brick Time (15km/5km) - 1:34:17
now, for some nutrition. mmmm, time to raid the fridge...
sidelined...again - Sunday, August 7 2005
dammit! this is retarded...but somehow, i guess i should've seen this coming. yesterday's brick must've taken a little too much out of me, and i swear i must've woke up like 3 times this morning (at 0730, 0800, and 0830), drinking a big glass of water each time, then waking up to piss 30min. later, then back to bed; only to repeat the process again 30min. later... got that weak/sick feeling along w/ the "uh oh..." voice in the back of my mind too. same sore throat feeling as a few weeks ago (minus the cough), and that "tingling-body" sensation you get when you feel like you have a fever coming on. i already declined going out last night too, slept early, drank lots of water - hence the frequent urination (yeah, you like that word don't you? lemme use it again: frequent)
boy this really sucks. must've been b/c i didn't full recover from the previous cold/flu, so when i started exercising again my immune system probably just caved in again. yeesh...so, i did the sane thing for a change this time, and didn't do the Grind as planned. in fact, i'm reluctantly thinking of shutting it down for the next 3 days if i have to, and maybe seeing the doctor again if things don't get any better. took my temperature before dinner n it showed a "slight" fever, but i hope i can do w/o seeing the doc if that feeling goes away after a good night's rest & some softcore drugs. if not, then i guess i'll have to visit the doc to get the good stuff.
at least pops was good enough to pity me n make me some "healthy" dinner:
corn soup & chicken caesar salad. =P
i am Hot - Monday, August 8 2005
-throbbing headache at work, headrushes each time i got up
-took my temperature when i got home after work: 39.5C
ok. i need a doctor now. O_o
---------------------
...so yeah. took the afternoon off work today (tuesday) to see the doc, told him what was up, n he said i might have mono. what?! mono?! he told me they sometimes call that the "kissing disease". what?! who've i been kissing that i should know about? but then he tells me that's just a nickname, and that i could've possibly gotten it from just about anywhere, esp. from eating out & if a food handler had it. ok...so then he did a throat swab sample, then sent me off to the lab for a blood test.
here's the deal: there is no possibility of good news. it's either a) the mono virus; in which case he says the effects are extreme fatigue (great), and that it could last anywhere from a week or 2 to 6 months. 6 months?!! bloody hell! and he said there'd be no medication to prescribe for that, just have to let my body fight it. great.
OR
behind door #2...could be b) a bacteria; in which case he'll prescribe another anti-biotic. he says there's 3 kinds that can work: biaxin, tetracycline, and clavilin(sp?). he gave me biaxin last time (so that's out), tetracycline's out b/c apparently he's got it on record that i'm allergic to it, so i guess if it comes down to it it's clavilin.
so, now that i'm home from going straight to the lab after the doc's n letting the lady w/ the chin stubble and a name tag that said "okilinia" poke me in the arm 3 times before getting a "good vein" to draw out a couple viles of blood, i've come up w/ 2 contingency plans so that i'm ready for whatever news the doc calls me w/ when he gets the results in 2 business days:
i)virus: load up on echinacea & vitamin C. hope that it'll only last 2 weeks, or if not, prepare to do the tri on drugs.
ii)bacteria: hope that clavilin's cheap.
*random rant: everyone must be aware of all those new "energy" drinks being advertised everywhere these days right? u got the oldies: Gatorade, Powerade, Trek...at least those were more sports-oriented. but now you have these new guys like "Shark", "Red Bull", and "Molson Kick", etc... now it's all fine n dandy how ppl wanna have more "energy" n all, but seriously what kind of morons do they take us for? the thing that bugs me the most is the line in one of the ads for "Molson Kick". they say something like: "...with guarana, a natural source of caffeine." ???? i thought caffeine wasn't all that good for your body anyways (not that you can't have a little tea/coffee/whatever), but what bloody difference does it make if it's natural?! these drinks are giving ppl high doses of sugar/caffeine/whatever to boost their "energy" levels, but honestly how healthy is that? and if it's a given that too much caffeine is a bad thing, why the hell would i care if it's from a "natural" source or not? that's kinda like saying: "hey, a punch in the face instead of being hit by a machine; wow! a 'natural' source of pain!!"
chumps.
so, the past few days i've been an idiot showing utter disregard for the stress limits of the body. what else is new?
mind over matter: the "Starbuck's Loop" - Saturday, August 6 2005
big Brick #1: reaally didn't feel like doing any exercise this morning, woke up feeling some aches n pains from the last few days. so when i asked myself if i wanted to follow through w/ my plan to try out what i've dubbed the "Starbuck's Loop", i hesitated. my arms were sore from the gym, my hamstrings ached from running/biking, and my boobs hurt cuz, well...u know =P.
BUT,
after a bowl of cereal, a cha-siu-bao, n a bit of stretching, i stuck to the plan n headed out just after 1000.
man, i hope to God that this route that i'm training on is harder than the actual race course b/c if it isn't...uuy i'm in trouble. the "Starbuck's Loop" got it's name from the fact that i decided to measure the distance with the car's odometer when i drove out to Buck's one night from my house. it's a relatively quiet route w/ minimal traffic, and some pretty challenging climbs/inclines. well, ok mr. Armstrong would probably think they're nothing, but challenging for me at least! here's directions if anyone wants to try it:
*Start: bottom of Royal Oak Ave. where it intersects w/ SE Marine Drive
-take the scenic route going West along SE Marine Drive (relatively flat, slight-moderate inclines)
-turn Right heading North up Matheson Cres. (big incline)
-then Left on Champlain, which winds & turns into Tyne St at around 54th Ave. (moderate incline)
*1/3 Mark: this is around the 5km mark where i'd usually turn left n head down the block to Buck's, but not this time...
-keep going till you hit 49th Ave, turn Right n head East until Boundary Rd (relatively flat, slight incline)
-turn Right n go south down until Rumble St. (slight-moderate decline)
-make a Left onto Rumble n head East until Royal Oak Ave. (mostly flat, slight incline)
-Right on Royal Oak Ave. back down the hill to where i started/home. (big decline)
*Final Lap: ok so you basically repeat the first third of the Loop again, but this time instead of going straight @ Tyne & 54th Ave, make a left...
-keep going West till you hit Rupert St. (slight decline)
-make a Right on Rupert n head North until 49th Ave/Killarney CC Track (flat)
...and yeah, so that's about 15km. ditch the bike at the side of the track, drink some water n get moving. a 5km run divided by 400m of track means...12.5 laps right? woohoo! mad math skillz...
so yeah i'm glad i made myself do it. gives me an idea of what it's like to have your motor running over an extended period of time, since all of my workouts up to this point have only been 25 minutes at most. weather was decent too; kinda overcast so it wasn't too hot, but still kinda sunny. the bike route's challenging too, w/ the hard climbs coming in the first and final thirds of the loop, which forces me to push hard so that i'll (hopefully) know what it's like to pace myself and have enough energy leftover to finish strong.
of course, there's still a long way to go, plus i haven't even tried doing the swim first (haven't been swimming for a few weeks actually O_o), i eased up during the run and walked half of my 7th lap, and if for some reason the car's odometer isn't very accurate and this "15km" route is actually only 10km? i'm toast! but let's think positive...whooosaaa...
alright, so here's the time to beat when i try n do this all over again next week:
Overall Brick Time (15km/5km) - 1:34:17
now, for some nutrition. mmmm, time to raid the fridge...
sidelined...again - Sunday, August 7 2005
dammit! this is retarded...but somehow, i guess i should've seen this coming. yesterday's brick must've taken a little too much out of me, and i swear i must've woke up like 3 times this morning (at 0730, 0800, and 0830), drinking a big glass of water each time, then waking up to piss 30min. later, then back to bed; only to repeat the process again 30min. later... got that weak/sick feeling along w/ the "uh oh..." voice in the back of my mind too. same sore throat feeling as a few weeks ago (minus the cough), and that "tingling-body" sensation you get when you feel like you have a fever coming on. i already declined going out last night too, slept early, drank lots of water - hence the frequent urination (yeah, you like that word don't you? lemme use it again: frequent)
boy this really sucks. must've been b/c i didn't full recover from the previous cold/flu, so when i started exercising again my immune system probably just caved in again. yeesh...so, i did the sane thing for a change this time, and didn't do the Grind as planned. in fact, i'm reluctantly thinking of shutting it down for the next 3 days if i have to, and maybe seeing the doctor again if things don't get any better. took my temperature before dinner n it showed a "slight" fever, but i hope i can do w/o seeing the doc if that feeling goes away after a good night's rest & some softcore drugs. if not, then i guess i'll have to visit the doc to get the good stuff.
at least pops was good enough to pity me n make me some "healthy" dinner:
corn soup & chicken caesar salad. =P
i am Hot - Monday, August 8 2005
-throbbing headache at work, headrushes each time i got up
-took my temperature when i got home after work: 39.5C
ok. i need a doctor now. O_o
---------------------
...so yeah. took the afternoon off work today (tuesday) to see the doc, told him what was up, n he said i might have mono. what?! mono?! he told me they sometimes call that the "kissing disease". what?! who've i been kissing that i should know about? but then he tells me that's just a nickname, and that i could've possibly gotten it from just about anywhere, esp. from eating out & if a food handler had it. ok...so then he did a throat swab sample, then sent me off to the lab for a blood test.
here's the deal: there is no possibility of good news. it's either a) the mono virus; in which case he says the effects are extreme fatigue (great), and that it could last anywhere from a week or 2 to 6 months. 6 months?!! bloody hell! and he said there'd be no medication to prescribe for that, just have to let my body fight it. great.
OR
behind door #2...could be b) a bacteria; in which case he'll prescribe another anti-biotic. he says there's 3 kinds that can work: biaxin, tetracycline, and clavilin(sp?). he gave me biaxin last time (so that's out), tetracycline's out b/c apparently he's got it on record that i'm allergic to it, so i guess if it comes down to it it's clavilin.
so, now that i'm home from going straight to the lab after the doc's n letting the lady w/ the chin stubble and a name tag that said "okilinia" poke me in the arm 3 times before getting a "good vein" to draw out a couple viles of blood, i've come up w/ 2 contingency plans so that i'm ready for whatever news the doc calls me w/ when he gets the results in 2 business days:
i)virus: load up on echinacea & vitamin C. hope that it'll only last 2 weeks, or if not, prepare to do the tri on drugs.
ii)bacteria: hope that clavilin's cheap.
*random rant: everyone must be aware of all those new "energy" drinks being advertised everywhere these days right? u got the oldies: Gatorade, Powerade, Trek...at least those were more sports-oriented. but now you have these new guys like "Shark", "Red Bull", and "Molson Kick", etc... now it's all fine n dandy how ppl wanna have more "energy" n all, but seriously what kind of morons do they take us for? the thing that bugs me the most is the line in one of the ads for "Molson Kick". they say something like: "...with guarana, a natural source of caffeine." ???? i thought caffeine wasn't all that good for your body anyways (not that you can't have a little tea/coffee/whatever), but what bloody difference does it make if it's natural?! these drinks are giving ppl high doses of sugar/caffeine/whatever to boost their "energy" levels, but honestly how healthy is that? and if it's a given that too much caffeine is a bad thing, why the hell would i care if it's from a "natural" source or not? that's kinda like saying: "hey, a punch in the face instead of being hit by a machine; wow! a 'natural' source of pain!!"
chumps.
Friday, August 05, 2005
whoaa...it's been a while. so, what's been going on? hmm...i think i took some notes, but let's ask "somebody":
(*"somebody" is used as a term referring to a person/entity/group, not being limited to or indicating the same person/entity/group in each instance.)
.
.
.
.
.
.
somebody spent some time in jail...
(#s: 17 arrests, 6 full patch members, 5 days in lock-down, 1 man at large)
.
.
.
somebody took their last trip to Cultus Lake as a Bachelor...
(#s: 11 guys, 6 sea-doos, 1 keg pale ale, 1 speed boat, 1 tube & tow rope, 1 pair granny panties, 1 training bra, 1 trailer trash tee, and 13lbs of MEAT)
.
.
.
somebody spent a lot of time sitting in this chair...
(#s: 6 bills, approx. 5 hours, over 2 separate days)
.
.
.
and this past week (after recovering from the summer flu), somebody managed to get back on track...
(#s: 75min. of running @ approx. 400m/2min, 24km biking, 7 days)
a little bit over a month left before the tri which means i need to; keep cranking up the training intensity (w/o killing myself) for the next 2 weeks, then back off and just do moderate stuff, figure out what bike i'm gonna be using, get back into the pool in 3 weeks, and make sure i carbo-load properly in 5 weeks, a few days before the race.
piece of cake right?
mmm...cake...
well, that's about it for now. o yeah, got to chill w/ somebody who came back from Japan, n said farewell to another somebody who left for China too...but i got no pics O_o . work is kinda boring but that's ok, i can't complain; at least i'm making money.
training goals for next week:
-1st attempt at a big brick on Saturday (15km bike followed immediately by 5km run)
-Grouse Grind on Sunday
-Monday/Wednesday/Friday: 25min. run during lunch
-Tuesday/Thursday: 5 mile bike during lunch
hmm...for next week, i think it's safe to say:
"SOMEbody gonna get hurt...real bad..."
O_o
(*"somebody" is used as a term referring to a person/entity/group, not being limited to or indicating the same person/entity/group in each instance.)
.
.
.
.
.
.
somebody spent some time in jail...
(#s: 17 arrests, 6 full patch members, 5 days in lock-down, 1 man at large)
.
.
.
somebody took their last trip to Cultus Lake as a Bachelor...
(#s: 11 guys, 6 sea-doos, 1 keg pale ale, 1 speed boat, 1 tube & tow rope, 1 pair granny panties, 1 training bra, 1 trailer trash tee, and 13lbs of MEAT)
.
.
.
somebody spent a lot of time sitting in this chair...
(#s: 6 bills, approx. 5 hours, over 2 separate days)
.
.
.
and this past week (after recovering from the summer flu), somebody managed to get back on track...
(#s: 75min. of running @ approx. 400m/2min, 24km biking, 7 days)
a little bit over a month left before the tri which means i need to; keep cranking up the training intensity (w/o killing myself) for the next 2 weeks, then back off and just do moderate stuff, figure out what bike i'm gonna be using, get back into the pool in 3 weeks, and make sure i carbo-load properly in 5 weeks, a few days before the race.
piece of cake right?
mmm...cake...
well, that's about it for now. o yeah, got to chill w/ somebody who came back from Japan, n said farewell to another somebody who left for China too...but i got no pics O_o . work is kinda boring but that's ok, i can't complain; at least i'm making money.
training goals for next week:
-1st attempt at a big brick on Saturday (15km bike followed immediately by 5km run)
-Grouse Grind on Sunday
-Monday/Wednesday/Friday: 25min. run during lunch
-Tuesday/Thursday: 5 mile bike during lunch
hmm...for next week, i think it's safe to say:
"SOMEbody gonna get hurt...real bad..."
O_o
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